


Lance is a Teddy Bear

by Untilwemeetinhell



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura is stressed, But that's what you get, Five Plus One, Hunk has depression, I based it off my own experiences, I'm sure there's a better word for that, Keith is also based off my own experiences, More tags to be added, Platonic Cuddling, Shiro has PTSD, keith is emotionally constipated, let me know if you think I wrote it wrong, no ships, pidge is tired, she/her pronouns for pidge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-08-23 03:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8312236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Untilwemeetinhell/pseuds/Untilwemeetinhell
Summary: Five ways Lance helps his team through cuddling and the one person who returns the favor.





	1. Hunk

Lance was turning in earlier than usual. It had been a day like any other at Galaxy Garrison until Hunk said he was heading back to the room early, spewing some half-assed excuse about homework. Lance could tell that something was wrong but let him go, figuring he needed some time alone. Now, it was a couple hours later and Lance still hadn’t heard anything from his roommate. He turned down an invitation to an event in the student lounge in order to seek out his friend. 

He wasn’t expecting to see Hunk curled up in bed staring blankly into space. He was holding a small stuffed dog tight in his arms and he just looked lost. This lasted all of a second before Hunk was jumping into a sitting position, throwing the animal behind the pile of blankets on his bed and allowing a grin to split his face. 

“Lance! What are you doing back so early? Wasn’t there a movie or something happening in the lounge today? I thought you were going to go to that.”

“I wasn’t really interested in the movie.” It was his favorite movie but Hunk didn’t need to know that. He sauntered over to his own bed and sat down, facing Hunk. He leaned back on his elbows, keeping the atmosphere relaxed. “I was wondering where you went. Is everything alright?”

“Everything’s great! Everything’s fine. Just peachy.” His voice cracked on the last word and Lance raised an eyebrow, silently daring his best friend to keep lying. They sat in silence for a moment until Hunk’s smile wavered and then fell. “Fine. I’m not alright. I just…” He hesitated. Lance sat up, leaning in to give his friend his full attention. “I-I have depression.” There was a pause as Lance absorbed that. “It was diagnosed a while ago and I’ve been doing so well about not letting it affect my life, you know? I had a dog; her name was Sunny. She was my emotional support dog. Whenever I started to feel down, I would curl up with her in my arms and just having something warm, and breathing, an-and alive in my arms calmed me down and left me feeling so much better. She was what kept me going, you know?

“Anyway, I don’t have her anymore. Even if the Garrison didn’t have a strict no pets policy, she passed away the day before I came here. It was… It was heart shattering and I’ve been having such a hard time since then. And I feel bad because I know that I could use literally any living breathing thing to replace her but I just- I don’t know. It’s stupid. I should be able to handle this by now, it’s been years! Just, forget I said anything.” He collapsed back onto his bed, throwing his arms out to either side and leaving his legs hanging off the side.

“Hey, no, it’s not stupid.” Lance stood, moving to sit next to Hunk and look down into his face. “It’s not stupid. You said you were doing fine when you had Sunny, right? When you had something alive to hold?”

“Yeah, but she’s not here anymore and I can’t get a new dog because the Garrison-”

“You don’t need a new dog. Come on, sit up and look at me for a second.” 

Hunk did as he was told, pulling himself up slowly until he was face-to-face with Lance.

“You just said you need something alive, right?” He nodded. “So what would you say if it was something human instead of a dog?”

“Lance, if you’re trying to hook me up with someone-”

“No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying if you need someone, you can come to me. I promise I won’t make it weird. My family is very physically affectionate so I’m not averse to contact with other people.” Lance locked eyes with him, making sure he understood what he was saying. “You are my best friend and I don’t want you suffering alone if there’s something I can do to help, okay?”

Hunk nodded, feeling tears start to prick at his eyes. He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Lance in gratitude, not trusting his voice. 

They both slept in Hunk’s bed that night. Hunk wrapped himself around Lance, feeling his friend breathing under his arm, reveling in the warmth against his chest. Lance had the little yellow dog in his own arms (Hunk had told him the stuffed animal’s name was Sunnyson and Lance’s enthusiasm kept any embarrassment from coloring his cheeks).  
\---  
It became a regular thing. Hunk felt bad asking Lance to give up his time at first. His depression had gotten worse since Sunny had passed away and he felt down more than he felt up. He would try to take care of it himself a few times, curling up alone with Sunnyson. But Lance always seemed so eager to be there that Hunk started seeking him out before he even realized he was doing it. As time passed, Hunk felt like he was feeling better. Yeah, the depression was still there - it was a part of him, it wasn’t going to just disappear. But it was starting to get easier to get out of bed in the morning and he had more energy to interact with the other students. He would still crash and end up laying in bed with Lance for hours some nights but things seemed to be looking up. He was finally starting to think about his future again.

Until the rumors started. 

He didn’t notice them at first because people would be careful not to talk about it when either he or Lance were within earshot. He was in line for lunch one day when he heard his name. A couple of people ahead of him in line hadn’t noticed how close he was so they were talking freely.

“I can’t believe he would do that to him. Hunk is such a nice guy!”

“I know. Why is he so openly flirting with other people? Everyone knows they’re together.” 

“Do you think Hunk knows this is happening?” 

“Someone should tell him, right? He has to know that Lance is cheating on him.”

Hunk could feel the blood flood his face. People thought they were dating? Hunk looked over towards where he knew his friend was sitting with a group of their friends, Pidge on one side of him, an empty spot for Hunk on the other, completely oblivious to what was being said about him.

“Lance doesn’t deserve Hunk. He puts no effort into that relationship. Hunk is doing all the work.”

“There are so many better people for him. He’s such a sweetheart.”

They moved out of earshot after that, continuing their conversation at a table while they ate. 

Hunk felt terrible. People were starting to hate Lance because of him. He had been using Lance so much that people thought they were dating and now Lance was being condemned for being Lance! 

He could feel himself start to shut down so he dumped his food in the trash and raced off back towards his room. 

He was already crying when Lance came in, not even a minute later. 

“Hunk, what’s wrong?” He was kneeling on the bed next to him, rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to get him to relax. “Why are you crying? Did something happen?”

Hunk wanted to hold Lance and cry into his shoulder but he had to stop using his friend like he was. If they kept doing this, Lance’s reputation would only get worse. Hunk had to grow up and deal with things by himself. He was 19 for fuck’s sake! But he couldn’t stop crying.

“Everything’s going to be okay. I’m right here. I’ll help you through this. You’re not alone.” Lance kept talking, reassuring Hunk that he was going to be okay, rubbing his shoulder, his back, his neck, never breaking contact.. Eventually - maybe minutes, maybe hours, Hunk had no way to tell - he calmed down and stopped crying. He buried his face in Sunnyson, trying to hide his shame. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Lance. This is all my fault.”

“Stop, you have nothing to be sorry for. You’ve done nothing wrong, Hunk. Just tell me what this is about. Something caused this, right?”

Hunk sniffed and looked up at Lance, tears still clouding his vision. “People think we’re dating. I’ve been using you so much that they think we’re dating and they think you’re cheating on me and they all think you’re a terrible person and this is all my fault! I never should have started this. I should have just dealt with this on my own or-or maybe I should never have come here in the first place! Then people wouldn’t hate you and-and you wouldn’t have to spend so much time being a fucking ragdoll for me a-a-and I-”

“Hunk, stop!” Lance put a hand on each shoulder, staring Hunk directly in the eye, leaving no room for protest. “I volunteered to do this. If I have any problem with helping you, I can come up with a million and one excuses about why I’m not available, alright? But I want to be here. I want to help you. I will be more hurt that you think I can’t handle this than I will be about a rumor. I’ll stop helping if you really want me to but you have to want it for yourself, not for me, okay? Do you understand?”

Hunk nodded slowly and Lance pulled him in for a hug. They spent the rest of the day in their room, Hunk sleeping wrapped around Lance. After that, Lance wasn’t flirting with people anymore. Hunk almost felt guilty except for the fact that Lance seemed just as positive and energetic as always, and of course, just as social. 

When they found the Blue Lion, Hunk wasn’t so worried about those rumors anymore.  
\---  
Hunk was almost constantly worried which ultimately left him restless. He was always on edge, waiting for the next attack. When they were fighting, he was trying to watch his teammates to make sure they were alright. His Lion had the best armor which meant he could take a few extra hits if he was distracted while watching out for someone else. But the stress of it all was wearing on him. 

And then Lance almost died.

Hunk had nowhere to go while Lance was in the healing pod so he spent some time with his Lion. Her presence in his mind reminded him of Sunny and while she couldn’t fill the physical role, she would comfort him in her own way, keeping him sane while his best friend was out of the picture. He was thrilled when Lance came out of the pod, immediately grabbing him up in a bear hug, but once everything started winding down, he felt himself start to crash. 

They were in one of the common rooms with the rest of the team and Hunk was overwhelmed from the stress and from spending time surrounded by so many people for so long. He made eye contact with Lance, silently asking for help just like he used to do at the Garrison. He received a small nod in return so he spouted an excuse about heading to bed and left. 

Lance was only a minute behind him, slipping into the room and sliding into the bed beside Hunk. They lay quietly for a few minutes, Hunk feeling the tension leave him, before he decided to break the silence. 

“You almost died.”

There was no response right away and Hunk wondered if Lance had fallen asleep. 

“I’m sorry. I had to make sure Coran made it out okay.” Hunk pulled Lance closer, reminding himself that he was there and he was alive. Nobody said anything for a little while longer.

“I’ve been so worried since we came here. I want to go back to Earth. At least there, we weren’t in constant danger.”

“I know.”

There was another pause.

“I’m glad you’re not dead.”

“Hunk…” Lance moved to roll over and face him but Hunk tightened his hold around his waist, keeping him from moving.

“No, you don’t understand. You weren’t waking up. There was an explosion and then you were just… And then the healing pods weren’t working because the explosion knocked out our power and we almost couldn’t get a new crystal and the whole time Coran and I were gone, I didn’t know if you were even still alive and so much went wrong and then you were in the healing pod and you looked like one of those mannequins that you see displayed in a glass case at a museum and you weren’t awake and full of energy and I couldn’t feel you breathing and I just-”

“Hunk, I’m fine." Lance squeezed Hunk's arm, turning his head as much as he could. "I’m here with you now. You got the crystal and I am eternally grateful to you for that. But I really need you to calm down, alright? Everyone is okay. Don’t worry about what happened in the past. That’s all done and gone. We are here in the present now. I’m with you. I’m alive. Everyone else is alive. Everything is okay.” 

Hunk buried his face between Lance's shoulder blades and nodded. Lance relaxed back to where he was.

A blanket of silence fell over them again and they just lay there, like they used to.


	2. Pidge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written in less time, not proof-read, and unbetad. Let me know if something seems amiss.  
> I might rewrite it one day but I'm a lazy piece of shit so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

All of the first year recruits were in the student lounge celebrating the end of midterms. There was a table lined with snacks near the door, music playing in another corner, and Wall-E projected on the screen that took up most of a wall. Pidge was sitting between Lance and Hunk on the couch, watching her teammates play an intense game of Candy Land against another couple of students. 

Pidge was struggling to keep her eyes open. Between studying for midterms and sneaking out to find information on her family, she hadn’t been getting much sleep. She was having a hard time paying attention to what was going on around her and she felt herself start to slump. She leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes, hoping that she could trick her mind into waking her up a little. 

A minute later, she found herself leaning against someone, their voice vibrating through them and into her. When they shifted to move their game piece, she stayed balanced and comfortable, like whoever it was compensated to make sure she wasn’t inconvenienced. She couldn’t wake herself up enough to look at who she was leaning on or remember who had been sitting on her right. Consciousness moved further from her reach and she slipped back to sleep. 

When she woke up, it was quiet. At some point, she had moved to a horizontal position, her head supported by something that very distinctly wasn’t a pillow. Her face was buried in something warm, her arms wrapped around it. She felt it move, inflating and deflating in a steady rhythm, just enough to make her feel like she was being rocked. For once, she felt rested: something she hadn’t felt in almost a year. Since the Kerberos mission. She didn’t want to leave the comfort of that feeling but she knew she couldn’t stay where she was. Slowly, she moved away from the warm thing in her arms and sat up, only to come face to face with Lance. 

She tried to be embarrassed but something about the look in his eyes and the gentle smile on his face told her there was no need. His arms were thrown across the back of the couch, appearing to the outside observer as a standard relaxed pose, but Pidge had a feeling it was because he didn’t want to touch her without explicit consent. 

“Hey, Pidgelet. How’d you sleep?” 

“Pidgelet?” Pidge looked around the room and noted that everyone was gone. The movie had changed to Winnie the Pooh and Pidge watched for a moment as Piglet got carried away by a swarm of butterflies. “Oh.” She turned back to Lance. “I’m sorry for falling asleep on you. I know that you and Hunk are a thing and-”

“Hey, you don’t need to apologize. If it was a problem, I would have woken you up. There was no curfew tonight so it’s not like we had anywhere to be. And Hunk and I aren’t ‘a thing.’” He used air quotes around the words to emphasize his point. “We’re just friends. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

He stood up and stretched, raising his arms high above his head. “Do you need anything before I hit the sack?” He looked down at her where she was still sitting on the couch. 

“No, I’m alright. Probably gonna go back to my room soon too.” 

He nodded and dropped a hand onto her head, ruffling her hair. “Midterms are over. Try to actually get some sleep every once in awhile.”

Once he was gone, she sat back on the couch, leaning into the cushions. Why did she feel so rested? She checked her phone, the time on the display telling her she had only slept for a little over an hour. She knew she would definitely fall right back asleep as soon as she made it to her bed because she was still tired but...

She stood up and started shuffling through the halls towards her room. 

\---

Nothing changed for the week after that. She stayed up late, slept in her own bed, and woke up as tired as she was when she went to sleep. She found herself being rocketed into space in a giant mechanical lion with her Garrison team and a couple of additions. And then there was hope. Hope that should could find her family and everything would be okay. She downloaded what she could from the crashed Galra ship, got a pod ready to start searching-

And then a bomb went off in the control room. 

And the Castle of Lions was infiltrated.

And she felt she knew what she needed to do. 

Finding her family took the back burner so she could focus on saving the galaxy. 

She managed to power through another day on her own two feet. Lance came out of the healing pod, she got to meet a really cool robot (that belonged to some less cool people), and she helped Voltron save the Balmera. Allura was put on bed rest so they had that night off to just sit around and do some team bonding the old fashioned way.

They were all sitting in the round couches, telling stories about their life on earth and laughing with each other. It was when she started telling a story about her family that it finally hit Pidge. 

She had been so close. 

She was downloading the information that would lead her to her family when Shiro had to interrupt the connection to save her ass. She had a pod ready to go find them when more important things presented themselves. She finished her story and the conversation moved on but she couldn’t focus on it anymore. She knew that Lance was talking but she had shut down, collapsing back into the couch.

Lance was next to her, just like that time at the Garrison. She slid into his side, feeling him move as he told his story, listening to his voice even if she wasn’t hearing the words. It relaxed her, though she didn’t know why. She knew she should probably feel something about the fact that everyone could see her leaning on Lance, of all people. But all she felt was the empty hole her family once filled. She closed her eyes to keep the tears from falling and listened as the voices went around the couch, everybody having more stories to contribute. She felt herself start to drift off. 

When she woke up, she found herself curled into Lance’s side, face buried in his ribs. He had an arm around her this time, his hand rubbing circles into her back. The last time she had felt this relaxed was the last time she had fallen asleep on him almost two weeks ago. He was talking to someone, a low conversation she couldn’t quite make out, though the accent was unmistakably Coran. She shifted and he moved his arm, allowing her to sit up and rub the sleep out of her eyes. The conversation paused as the other two in the room looked at her, mirroring grins on their faces. Everyone else was gone.

“Hey, Pidgeotto. How’d you sleep?”

She remembered a similar question last time they were in this position. 

“How long was I asleep?”

“Long enough to shave a Snelrapsen.” 

Pidge looked at Coran, one eyebrow raised in confusion. 

“Almost two hours, I think.” Lance’s answer cleared that up for her.

“We need to get some kind of universal time span on this ship.” Pidge stood up, twisting to crack her back. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you. Again.”

“Pidge, it’s fine, really. I don’t have anywhere to be and you’re really not an issue in any way. You sleep through everything.”

“Well, I’m sorry anyway. I’m gonna head back to my room for the night.”

“Alright. Let me know if you need anything.” Lance waved as she left, and she heard his conversation with Coran resume. 

\--- 

The third time it happened, they were alone. Pidge was sitting on the couch with her laptop, Lance sitting behind her and watching over her shoulder as she explained her next plan to upgrade the Lions. He seemed to understand everything she was saying and if he didn’t, he asked her to clarify. He was genuinely interested in what she was doing, which she was a little surprised by. But she loved to talk about her work so she kept going, talking about all the coding she needed to do and the supplies she was hoping they could find. 

But it was late and their intense early morning physical training had been interrupted by a Galra attack that had them fighting on the ground for much longer than she thought was appropriate. Not to mention how late she had stayed up the night before planning the upgrades she was currently talking about. In short, she was exhausted. 

She felt herself start to slump, unable to hold her own weight. Her words started slurring and she was interrupted by her own yawns. She debated heading back to her bed but then she remembered how she felt the last two times she had fallen asleep on Lance and she leaned backwards instead, resting against his chest. He let her, adjusting so that she was comfortable, and he continued to watch over her head as she kept trying to explain. But he was so warm and she was so tired...

When she woke up, Lance was reading on a tablet - or rather, the Altean equivalent - and she was feeling great, as expected. She felt a little guilty at using him so that she could feel better when she woke up but he had always said it wasn’t a problem. And he had seemed to keep himself busy while she slept. She closed her eyes and just relaxed into his warmth for a moment before pulling herself up off of him. 

“Hey, Pidgerson. How’d you sleep?”

“Really good. Thank you.” Her laptop had been closed and moved to the floor where it would be safe. She leaned over and picked it up, hugging it to her chest. 

“No problem. You seemed like you needed it.” He smiled at her as she stood up from the couch and he joined her as they walked out of the room. “Shiro came by about an hour ago. Dinner’s probably almost ready. Hunk’s using the stuff he grabbed from that last planet we hit a couple days ago.”

“Sounds good.” Her mouth started watering at the thought of something Hunk had cooked. “Sounds great.”

“I’ll see you there, then.” He turned down a separate hall, waving over his shoulder, and she smiled.

She’d have to use him more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't like this chapter as much as the last one but what can you do?
> 
> Hope you're all doing well. 
> 
> Please comment. I crave constant validation.


	3. Shiro

It was the first chance Shiro had to relax in a year so it couldn’t be real. 

He had escaped and crashed back on Earth where he thought he’d be safe but immediately, he was tied down and injected with drugs. They hadn’t given him a chance to say anything, to warn them. They just knocked him out and that was the end of it. 

When he woke up, he was in a pleasantly familiar place which was concerning. He waited for the other shoe to drop. This wasn’t real. He was back in that prison and this was just a nightmare. Something bad was going to happen and he didn’t want to watch it. 

Keith walked in, which should have comforted him but only made him more worried. What was going to happen to Keith? Was he going to watch Keith get abducted? Was he going to watch Keith die?

“Shiro, you’re awake!” 

He played along. Things would only get worse if he tried to fight it. 

“Hey.” He sat up, shaking the last of the fog from his brain, and forced a smile. He couldn’t show weakness. 

“Are you feeling okay? Can you come out to the living room and eat? Or do you want me to bring you something here?”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll come out.” He stood on shaky legs and followed his friend out of the bedroom and into the living room. 

Matt was in the living room, typing on a computer. What was Matt doing there? Was he going to have to lose him all over again? Matt looked up at Shiro and he realized that it wasn’t Matt. The eyes behind those glasses belonged to someone else. 

Two other people he didn’t recognize were in the room as well, both still asleep, so Shiro mumbled an excuse about needing to get some air and then went out into the desert to watch the sunrise and mull over the events of the past day. This was real. Nothing bad was happening. He was free of the aliens. 

Or so he thought. 

It was their second night in the Castle of Lions. They had rescued a group of prisoners from a Galran ship. They had recognized him. They had called him the Champion. 

He was walking through the hall, trying to shake off the unnerving feeling. He could feel a ball of anxiety curled up in his chest, threatening to overwhelm him. He felt like he was being watched, the hair standing up on the back of his neck. He heard footsteps coming from down the hall, echoing off the metal walls, and he was back in the prison cell, waiting to be escorted to the arena to fight. He had never escaped. The past few days weren’t real. He was still a prisoner.

He crouched in a corner of the cell, hoping he could make himself small enough to not be seen. He wished the shadows would swallow him and he wouldn’t have to fight anymore. Maybe the footsteps were just guards on rounds. Maybe they would leave him alone.

He heard a voice calling his name. They were coming for him. He wasn’t safe. He was never safe.

But… that was his name? His actual name, not “Champion.” He listened to the voice, focused on the sound. It wasn’t anything like the guards that came to drag him out to the arena. It was worried. It was kind. He leaned towards that voice, reaching until he felt warm human skin under his hand. He pulled it closer, burying his face in soft cotton. Gentle arms wrapped around him. He didn’t feel trapped. The grip was only there to be there, not to keep him from moving. He could pull away whenever he wanted. He breathed in and smelled something floral. There were no flowers on the ship. There were no flowers in the arena. Only blood and burning. 

The voice was still talking. It was telling him he was safe. He was with friends. He wasn’t a prisoner anymore. He believed that voice. He wrapped his arms around the body in front of him, pulling it as close as he could. There was a hand working the muscles in his back, forcing him to relax. Another one was combing through his hair. Something was shaking. It might’ve been him. 

“You’re okay, Shiro. You’re safe. Just relax. We’ll keep you safe.” 

He opened his eyes and saw blue and grey. He listened to Lance reassuring him. He was exhausted. His grip loosened as he finally relaxed. His fingers untangled from Lance’s shirt and he slumped against the younger man’s shoulder. He tried to say something but he was too tired to form words. The hands on his back and in his hair stopped moving and a whine escaped from his throat.

“Are you back with me now?” He nodded. “That’s good.” One hand started rubbing small circles in his back. He closed his eyes. “Do you want to talk about it?” He shook his head no. “Alright.” 

The hallway fell silent. It was unsettling. It reminded him too much of the empty nights on the ship.

“Can-” He cleared his throat, not liking the raw sound that came out when he tried to speak. “Can you just… keep talking? About anything? Please.”

“Yeah, sure. How about a story. Like, the Princess and the Pea. Is that alright?” He nodded. 

“Alright. Once upon a time…” 

Shiro listened to the story he had heard a million times before. But somehow, it was completely new. Lance embellished it with excessive amounts of detail. He described the dresses the fake princesses wore, and the way their jewels were obviously fake. He talked about how some of them were struggling to walk in heels, and Shiro laughed when he realized Lance was just describing their team as princesses. 

By the time the real princess - who Shiro understood to be the Blue Lion herself - woke up covered in bruises that looked like constellations, Shiro had managed to sit up and allow the other his arms back. Now they were both sitting in the hallway, Shiro laughing as Lance acted out the role of pompous prince asking for Blue’s hand in marriage. He pursed his lips and stuck up his nose, talking in a really bad British accent. Blue just waved him off, declaring that she was aromantic and was just passing through. 

When the story came to a close, Lance rolled his head to meet Shiro’s eyes. 

“And that’s the true story of the Princess and the Pea.”

Shiro laughed, genuinely happy despite his earlier… episode. 

“Thank you, Lance.” 

“You don’t need to thank me. I’m always looking for an excuse to tell a story.” He winked and then stood up, stretching his arms above his head to crack his back. “Are you okay now?”

Shiro looked up at him and smiled. “I’m feeling a lot better, thanks to you.” He shifted to stand and Lance reached a hand down to help him up. They walked towards their rooms, parting ways for the night. 

Of course, that wasn’t Shiro’s last flashback. He would have them infrequently. He never knew exactly what would trigger them. Sometimes he’d be alone. He preferred it that way. Other times, he’d be with the team and he’d excuse himself at the first signs to ride it out in his room before returning an hour or more later as if nothing had happened. And there were times when he would think he was alone but someone would walk in on him in the middle of the flashback and things would get worse. 

Pidge or Keith would find him and Shiro would see Matt or Keith in the arena. Hunk and Allura would panic, unsure of what to do, and once Shiro recovered, he would have to calm them down instead. He would be on edge for the rest of the day after that. Coran hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing Shiro in that state, as he was always busy with something or other now that he was the only working class Altean on the Castle of Lions. 

But when Lance found him, Shiro found himself more relaxed, coming out of the flashback faster, finding himself safe in the present. He was always laughing at some fairy tale being retold with their team or the aliens they had encountered. 

One night, he was wandering aimlessly through the halls, a foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach. They had saved some prisoners from a Galra ship earlier in the day. They had a lead that Matt and Sam might’ve been on that ship but they were nowhere to be found. Pidge had stormed off as soon as they landed back on the Castle of Lions. Hunk and Keith escorted the civilians to Coran in the medical wing to be put in restoration pods. Lance had announced that he was going to shower. Shiro went to brief the princess and go over their next course of action. 

Now he was here. The halls were silent, only the echo of his own footsteps accompanying him. He would look into open doorways as he passed, though he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. He faltered for a moment when he turned a corner to find light filtering out of one of the common rooms. He was under the impression that everyone was asleep. He walked towards the light to investigate. 

Lance was sitting on the couch, facing away from the door. All Shiro could see was the back of his head but that was all it took. His vision blurred and he was moving without meaning to, jumping over the back of the couch and curling into Lance’s side, wrapping his arms around the smaller man’s torso. An arm fell over his shoulders, rubbing circles into the space between his shoulder blades, and Lance’s voice started the familiar mantra of “You’re okay. You’re on the Castle of Lions. You’re safe. Everyone is safe.” 

When Lance launched into his retelling of Mulan (with Pidge as the protagonist), Shiro realized that he hadn’t been wandering aimlessly. His flashback had been held off until he found Lance, where he knew he’d be safe until he could pull himself together. He wondered if that was a bad thing. He was supposed to be the leader. He was supposed to be taking care of his team, not the other way around. But the hand on his back and the warmth in his arms convinced him that this wasn’t a bad thing. That he was supposed to be here. He convinced himself that he could stop going to Lance if it became a problem. And he relaxed, eyes closed, listening to the story. 

When he finally opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Pidge asleep. She was curled up in Lance’s lap, his other arm draped over her side. Lance had just finished talking about how Pidge and her prince - the Green Lion - became best friends, because Pidge was aromantic and wasn’t into the whole falling in love thing. Shiro shifted carefully, trying not to accidentally elbow the smallest paladin in the face. He looked at Lance, one eyebrow raised in a question, as the story came to a close. The blue paladin looked down at the sleeping figure before meeting Shiro’s question with a smile.

“Pidge can sleep through anything.”

“I’ve seen her fall asleep in a lot of places and just breathing too loud has caused her to wake up.”

“Really? She sleeps for hours whenever I see her. I’ve had whole conversations with Coran and dropped stuff around her and she’s slept through it all.”

“Maybe it’s just you. You seem to have a way with making people relax, in my experience.”

“Nah, she’s probably just tired.” He looked down at her, his smile turning sad. “Today was a long day for her too. And she didn’t sleep much last night.” He looked back up at Shiro. “She’s probably exhausted and just shuts down. How are you feeling?” 

“Better, thanks to you.” He stood up, happy in the knowledge that he wouldn’t have nightmares that night. “I don’t know if I’ve told you how much you help but I really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem. I’m sure anyone would do it for you.” Pidge wrapped her arms tighter around Lance’s waist and Shiro took that as his cue to leave. 

“Make sure you get some sleep tonight, Lance. We’ve got another big day tomorrow.”

Lance nodded and reached over to pick up an Altean tablet resting on a table in front of them. Shiro noted that it was covered in Altean text but chose to save that information and the subsequent question for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was longer than the others (from what I can tell) and has a much lower quality.  
> I'm in a fiction writing class in college. I should be better than this. My grades say I am better than this.  
> I should also not be writing this when I have so much homework that I should be doing instead but here we are. 
> 
> As always, reviews are appreciated. Tell me what I'm doing wrong because I don't have experience in anything I'm writing.  
> Also, if you live outside of the US and have somewhere for me to stay, elections are tomorrow and my queer ass is terrified.


	4. Allura

Allura and Shiro were poring over maps in the control room, discussing their next step and what to do with the information Pidge had pulled during their latest mission. The rest of the paladins had the day off. Allura recalled Hunk and Pidge immediately launching into a discussion on the ongoing upgrades to the Yellow Lion and Keith had mentioned turning in for the night. She wasn’t sure what Lance had gone off to do and wondered, vaguely, if she should be concerned about the blue paladin’s activities but opted let it go for now. There was only so much to do on the Castle Ship. Coran was unavailable to aid them, having a long list of chores to complete that day. Allura felt guilty at the amount of work Coran had inherited upon waking up but they were the only Alteans left and- 

Oh. 

They were... 

“Allura?”

She jumped at her name, coming back to the present. Shiro looked at her, a concerned frown on his face.

“Yes? I’m sorry. What?”

“Are you okay?” 

She realized her eyes were watering and she quickly wiped the tears away. 

“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” She smiled wide, trying to convince him. 

“You just seem a little down. Do you want to talk about it?”

“Oh, no. I’m doing alright. How are you, Shiro? You seem to be doing better, lately.”

Shiro’s cheeks tinted red at that and he turned away, a smile tugging at his lips. He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck sheepishly. “Actually, I have been doing better, I think. Um, Lance has been helping a lot.” He looked back up and the blush fell away. “He could help you, if you let him. I’ve noticed he’s been helping Pidge too. I’m sure he’d be happy to help you, if you don’t want to talk to me. He’s got this way about him that makes you feel like he wants you to be there. You don’t feel embarrassed at all.” 

“I have noticed something going on lately. He spends some nights in Hunk’s room and I may have walked in to find Pidge sleeping on him a few times… But no. I’m fine. I don’t need help. Thank you, though, for the advice. Should we go back to planning?”

“I’m not actually sure what else we can talk about tonight. It’s getting really late and I’m struggling to concentrate myself.” He stretched his arms above his head. “I think we can be done for now.” 

“Yes, right. Very well.” She started closing the programs hovering around her, secretly relieved at not having to work anymore. “I will see you bright and early in the morning for training. Goodnight, Shiro.”

“Goodnight, Princess. Don’t forget what I told you. Lance can help.”

The door hissed shut before she had a chance to respond and she was left alone. Her hands stilled over the controls and her eyes teared up again.

They were the only Alteans left. 

She tried to shake it off and finish shutting everything down but her hands were shaking and her vision kept getting clouded over. When she had completed her task, she moved out of the room and started through the halls. She bypassed her room completely - there were too many memories of her father in there - and kept walking. She wasn’t sure where she was going but every corner she turned, she found another memory haunting her. 

Down that hall was where she played board games with the maintenance workers during their breaks. 

That room was where she and her best friend had built a fort to draft up elaborate plans to cause mischief throughout the castle. 

That one was where one of the engineers taught her to craft beautiful creatures out of paper. 

When she finally stopped moving and managed to blink away the tears enough to see clearly, she found herself in the paladin’s quarters. Specifically, outside of the blue paladin’s room. 

_Lance can help._

Shiro’s words echoed through her head and she raised her fist to knock. 

She hesitated. 

She was supposed to be the leader. She was supposed to be the one looking out for the rest of them. She was supposed to be strong. She couldn’t show weakness. She looked at her fist, hovering just above the door. Her hands were still shaking. 

Footsteps startled her into motion and she dropped her hands to her side, standing ramrod straight. 

“Allura?”

It was Lance. He wasn’t even in his room. He walked closer until he was standing in front of her. 

“What are you doing out here?” He didn’t sound suspicious. Just curious. 

She scrambled to find an excuse. “I, uh, I’m just, making sure-” She waited for him to interject with a wink and some crude statement about how she was looking for some late night fun but instead… 

“Do you want to come in?” He was sincere. There was no ulterior motive in that question. Just offering her a place to go that wasn’t exposed as she was in the hallway. Lance pushed his hand against the entrance panel and the door slid open. He waited for her, gesturing for her to go first if she chose.

She bit her lip. She shouldn’t. She was supposed to be strong. But her hands were still shaking and her eyes kept clouding over and then she was moving, sweeping into the room, and Lance followed. He sat on his bed and patted the spot beside him. She dropped down, on autopilot at this point. 

She wasn’t sure what to say but she had made it this far. She figured she should probably say something.

Instead she cried. The tears came like a faucet had been opened and she just started sobbing. She felt arms wrap around her and pull her in so she buried her face in his chest and clung to Lance for dear life. 

She didn’t know how long she had been crying but eventually, she had calmed enough to speak. And when she started talking, she couldn’t stop. She was still crying but there were words interspersed. She talked about everything she lost. About all the memories she had and the things she missed. All the things she never got to experience. She talked herself hoarse and kept talking after that. 

When she had nothing else to say and the tears were long dried up, she just hiccuped in his arms. He was humming softly, something Allura wasn’t familiar with, and she felt the vibrations through his chest. She relaxed into it, finding the rhythm matched the beat of his heart. When the song reached its end, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt lighter, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. 

“Thank you.” She couldn’t find it in herself to be embarrassed when he looked that happy to have been able to help her. She straightened her clothes and combed her fingers through her hair. “I’m sorry for keeping you up so late.”

“It’s no problem. I’m always available if you need to talk.” His smile was as friendly as it had always been and she knew she hadn’t made a mistake coming to him. 

“I won’t keep you up any longer. We’ve got an early morning of training ahead of us! You’ll need all the sleep you can get.” 

Lance’s smile fell off his face and he groaned, collapsing back on his bed. “When are we going to get a break?”

She hid a smile behind her hand. Nothing would be changed after this. He was still just Lance and she was still Allura and that was as things should be. “You had one today, Lance. Now get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turned to waltz out, a power walk that her father had taught her. That memory didn’t hurt as much as it had earlier in the day. She had more of a fondness for it now. She paused in the doorway, turning to look back over her shoulder. “Again, thank you. You don’t know how much you did for me tonight.” 

The door closed and she silently made her way back to her own room. 

Coran was coming down the hallway to the staff quarters from the opposite direction. 

“Princess!” She was getting really tired of hearing that. “What are you still doing u- Are you okay?” She realized she probably still had tear tracks running down her cheeks. She rubbed at her face and smiled an honest smile.

“Yes, I’m alright. I… I handled it. Everything’s alright. Did you just finish your list?”

“As a matter of fact, I did! It took all day but I managed it!” He pulled at his mustache and puffed his chest out in pride. “I did recruit some help, however. But it got done and that’s all that matters! I just finished putting everything away. Are you headed off to bed now?”

“Yes. We’ve got training in the morning, don’t forget.”

“Ah, right. Well, I better turn in for the night as well, then. Goodnight Princess!”

“Goodnight, Coran.” 

She dreamed that night. She dreamed that she was back on Altea with her father, running through the halls with other Alteans, and playing with the native animals. She woke up feeling happy.

\--- 

  
Allura was stressed. It had been back to back diplomatic meetings, Galra attacks, and supply runs and she was starting to break. She was still so young by Altean standards. She wasn’t ready to have so much responsibility. They were staging a revolution against an empire that had 10,000 years to build. It wasn’t all just going to come crashing down in a day. 

She was storming through the halls after a particularly long meeting with stubborn dignitaries that had yet to reach a conclusion. They had agreed to meet again the next day to continue their negotiations but Allura was exhausted. She and Shiro had met with them alone and they had already tried everything. She wasn’t sure what else there was to discuss. 

She was surprised to find herself outside of Lance’s door again. It was late and everyone else was asleep. She knew she should also be asleep but her stress was keeping her awake. Before she knew what she was doing, the sound of her knocking echoed down the hallway. A second later, the door opened to reveal a disheveled Lance, clearly just rolled out of bed. 

“I’m so sorry to wake you. I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”

“You don’t need to apologize." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stepped to the side. "Do you want to come in?” 

She looked down the empty hall, considering just leaving. But she was already here and he was already awake. She turned back to him and nodded. 

This time, he sat on the bed while she ranted, pacing a hole into his floor. She screamed herself hoarse, insulting every species they had interacted with in the past few weeks and cursing the Galra out for having the audacity to attack when they were this busy. Lance gave appropriate responses where they were needed but otherwise just let her yell. Unfortunately, when she got this heated about something, she started crying. She wasn’t proud of that fact. 

He held her while she cried again, though it was interspersed with more insults as she thought of them, and when she calmed down, he hummed another song, slow and calming. She asked him to hum another when he finished and he chuckled and started a new song. 

She was much more relaxed and level headed when she finally went to her own room. She was ready to face a new day and finish the negotiations when she woke up. She brought all of the paladins with this time, if only to keep Lance nearby to calm her down. She was a little surprised and a lot appreciative when he interjected at points and managed to speed the process along, getting their new allies to agree to their terms and sign the treaty before midday meal. She made a mental note to consider bringing him to more meetings. She gave the paladins the rest of the day off to do as they pleased, as she had dedicated the whole day to negotiations. 

Shiro raised one eyebrow at her over the whooping boy’s head and she nodded. Lance had helped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cried Tuesday night. Like, a lot. Most of my friends are not straight white cis men. I'm not straight or cis. But I am afraid. 
> 
> I'm doing alright though. I live in a blue state and when I graduate, I'm moving to another blue state (if I can't just leave the country completely) so I'll be okay. I'm already covering everything up with humor. You can't let something pause your life, you know? You gotta keep going, even if it's just out of spite. I do everything out of spite. 
> 
> I hope you're all doing okay. I hope you're all safe. If you need someone to talk to, I can post my tumblr in the notes of the next update. Even if it's not related to the election, you can come talk to me. If you feel like you have nowhere to go, I'm almost always online (except when I'm in class) and I talk way too much.
> 
> Hell, I just like making friends in general and I'm always willing to have more people follow me - especially if you'll reblog my selfies - so if you're interested, let me know and I'll include my url in the next author's note. If not, I'm cool with anonymity too. 
> 
> I should be doing homework. I have to write a 12 page script and instead I'm writing this.  
> Reviews make procrastination worth it. Criticism is welcome.
> 
> Have a wonderful day


	5. Keith

_Jab. Uppercut. Hook. Jab. Duck. Cross. Overhand._

Keith had been in the training room for almost two hours. His temper had been getting a lot shorter the longer he spent away from the familiarities of Earth. It didn’t help that interacting with the same personalities every day was getting to be grating. The team hadn’t had to deal with any field battles in a while which meant all of his angry energy was starting to build up. He would have preferred a baseball bat and something to demolish but barring that, he decided to do something productive with his time. 

He had one training bot standing in front of him, fists raised in a defensive position. It was set to a low level, acting as an easy target for the most part. It would throw an occasional punch of its own to keep Keith on his toes but otherwise, it was just a practice dummy. 

Despite the ease of this exercise, Keith was giving it his full attention. He was watching his form, making sure his feet didn’t shift out of place, keeping his knees bent and ready, his arms held high enough in front of him, his fingers curled in the safest positions. He stared at the bot in front of him, watching for any signs of attack. He noted any shifts in weight or listened for a hiss in mechanics to warn him something was coming. He would compare it to fighting with something alive. It was harder to predict with bots which meant harder to dodge. Living things anticipated their moves: tightening the fist they were about to throw, pulling their arm back before the swing. No matter how minute their tells, it always gave Keith that extra split second to respond with a counter.

After another quick combination of punches, he landed a hit to put the bot out of commission. He had almost worked off all of his angry energy. One more round at a higher level and he’d probably be good. He walked out of the center of the room, grabbing a water pouch. He collapsed cross-legged onto the floor and downed half the bag. Tossing it off to the side, he flopped backwards onto the cold metal floor to stare up at the high ceiling. 

If he closed his eyes, he could almost convince himself he was back on Earth at the Garrison. It was always just a little too cold there, no matter where you were. Pretty much everything was made of metal and glass, just like the castle. Maybe that was just a space thing. Your Oxygen couldn’t escape through metal and glass. He felt a smile tugging at his lips as he imagined getting a lecture in engineering materials by the old bat Mrs. Gordon. He remembered her gray hair always falling out of the bun perched high on her head. He and his friend Jack - on the days Jack showed up for class - used to call it her witch’s crown. 

His eyes started to burn when he thought of Jack, a lump forming tight in his throat. He remembered the feeling of betrayal that had overwhelmed him the last time he saw him. He had watched his walk of shame as he carried his things out of his dorm room. Jack was fighting a smile at getting away with as much as he had. He was just as guilty for what happened as Keith was yet Keith was the only one getting kicked out of the Garrison. He later found out that Jack was the reason he got caught in the first place but he couldn’t do anything at that point. 

He jumped to his feet, angry energy back in full force. He started running a lap around the room, too angry to get his voice to work with him in order to call another bot out. He was halfway through his second lap when a voice cut across the room. 

“Hey, Speed Racer.” Keith slowed to a walk, glaring at the Blue Paladin leaning in the doorway.

“What, Lance?” The words came out in a growl but that didn’t seem to faze the man in question.

“Do you want to spar?” That brought him to a halt. What angle was he playing, here? There was no insult, no provocation. He didn’t look like he was joking and he wasn’t the type to be hiding any ulterior motives. He just wanted to spar?

“Why?”

Lance started walking towards the center of the room, tossing his jacket next to Keith’s before crossing his arm over his chest to stretch his shoulders. 

“Well, I’m not doing anything right now and I’m not exactly great at hand-to-hand. I figured I could use the practice. Maybe you could give me some pointers.” He stopped in the center of the room, dropping into a defensive position, hands at the ready. “So what do you say?” After almost two months living together, his grin was a challenge Keith knew too well. And like always, Keith couldn’t turn down his challenge. 

He reminded himself to pull his punches, afraid his anger would get the best of him and he’d hurt his teammate. He dropped into his own fighting stance. 

“Let’s go.”

Lance threw the first punch. Keith watched him clench his fist, draw his arm back a centimeter, shift his weight to his back foot. Keith responded by ducking under his arm, coming up behind him. With the same motion, he spun a 180 to keep the other man in sight. Lance used the inertia of his missed hit to swing himself around and face Keith. He kept his balance, like he knew his first move would be futile. He didn’t stop the motion, lifting his leg as he kept spinning and forcing Keith to jump backwards to avoid a kick to the stomach. He kept moving, forcing Keith to keep dodging. 

After a few missed blows, Keith knew this fight would go nowhere if he didn’t switch to offense. Ducking under the next punch, he shot his hand out, connecting it with Lance’s shoulder and throwing the blue paladin off balance. He didn’t give Lance a chance to recover, sweeping his leg around to knock him off his feet. Lance managed to roll back over his shoulder, returning to his feet quickly and jumping out of the way of the next hit. He shifted, throwing himself into the next punch in order to get close enough to get in a blow of his own and returning to offense. He was willing to make sacrifices in order to gain the upperhand. Keith filed that information away for later, returning to the current fight in time to avoid the next kick. 

They continued like that for a while, trading blows and misses. Soon they were both breathing hard, hearts racing from the exertion. They both backed off each other and started circling, catching their breaths, waiting for an opening. Keith felt calmer, some of his angry energy having been worked off, but he hadn’t won yet. He still had to beat Lance’s challenge. 

They had fought in silence up until that moment. Lance, being Lance, decided to change that.

“You getting tired, old man?” 

“Fuck you, Lance. I’m only a couple months older than you.”

“That’s hard to believe with the way you’ve been fighting today.” 

Keith didn’t bother giving that a response, lunging forward to throw a fist at Lance’s chest. Lance spun out of the way, occupying the spot Keith had just vacated. 

“Too slow, old man. Come on, you can do better than that.” 

Keith glared at him. Lance had his arms down, relaxed at his side. His lazy stroll gave nothing away. It was like he was taunting Keith, saying he didn’t feel threatened at all. 

He lunged again, feigning an uppercut with his left hand so Lance would move towards the cross with his right. It didn’t play out how he hoped, however. Lance ran at him instead, leaning back and dropping to his knees at the last second so he would slide past Keith, throwing an arm out to catch his knees and trip him. Keith landed face first, limbs splayed out in every direction. 

He jumped back to his feet and spun to face Lance. He was angry again, rage boiling in his limbs. His vision faded for a moment and suddenly it was Lance in front of him. It was Jack, smiling at Keith’s shame. 

Now was his chance. Keith wasn’t able to get back at that asshole before but now, here he was, standing right in front of him. He charged forward, throwing a flurry of punches that Jack struggled to avoid. But still, he smiled, mocking him. Keith landed his first punch - a jab to the sternum that knocked the wind out of the man in front of him. After that, it was easy to knock him down. A few more hits and he was on his back. Keith didn’t stop though. He followed him down, straddling his waist and dropping hits. At some point, he started screaming, shouting curses at the man who ruined his life. Form was out the window; Keith was just letting his fists fly. Jack just lay there and took it all like it was nothing. 

Keith’s eyes clouded over with tears as his arms slowed and then he just collapsed against the body under him and started crying. He curled his fists into the white cotton under his cheek and sobbed loud wrenching sobs. He felt a pair of arms wrap around him and he cried harder. He tried to cause more destruction by burrowing into the other man’s chest, turning his face into it and screaming. He squeezed his legs against the hips between them, trying to hurt someone else in an attempt to make himself hurt less. But the arms around him just tightened and he knew he wasn’t causing any damage. 

Despite that, he was still feeling better. The pressure at all the points of contact drew the tension out of his body and his energy flowed out of him with his screaming and tears. His heart rate slowed significantly. It didn’t take long before he exhausted himself, feeling empty and just slumping against Ja- 

No. Jack wasn’t here. He was fighting-

Lance! 

He pushed himself up, ripping himself from the arms around him and throwing himself back and away. Panic began to rise at the thought of what he had just done. He attacked Lance! He let his anger get the best of him and just wailed on his entirely unprotected teammate! He-

“Hey.”

Lance sat up, facing Keith. Keith pulled his knees up to his chest, burying his face in his arms.

“Lance, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to attack you. I’ll make it up to you. I’ll-”

“Keith, stop.” He did. “Look at me.” Keith sniffed and looked up. Lance had moved, crawling so he was kneeling in front of Keith. “It’s fine. You didn’t hurt me.” Keith glanced down at Lance’s tear stained shirt, not believing him. He imagined dark bruises already forming on the tan skin. He wanted to reach out, look at the damage he caused. 

But then Lance’s hands were on his own, gently prying them off of his legs. Keith’s hands were balled into fists, nails digging into his palms, trying to cause some kind of pain to punish himself. Lance forced his fingers open, sliding his fingers into the gaps between Keith’s and holding tight so Keith couldn’t hurt himself. Keith’s knees fell to the sides so he was sitting in a butterfly stretch. 

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Keith shook his head. It was stupid. Jack wasn’t here. Keith was in a better position because of what happened. This shouldn’t be as much of a problem as it was. “Alright. That’s fine. Do you want to talk about something else.” Keith shook his head again. His breath caught in his throat for a moment. “Are you going to cry again?” He started shaking his head but a sob tore itself from his chest and he couldn’t deny it. He nodded. Lance used his grip on Keith’s hands to pull him closer, letting go only to wrap his arms around Keith. The red paladin buried his face in Lance’s shoulder, grabbed fistfuls of his shirt, and shifted into a more comfortable position before he started crying again, sobs overtaking him. 

They sat there for a while, Keith crying into Lance’s shoulder. He felt the tension drain from his shoulders until he relaxed. He didn’t remember the last time he had cried so he didn’t realize how much that was weighing on him. He had filtered all of his negative emotions into anger, not letting himself feel anything else. 

His mind started to wander. There were places he didn't let it go; things he had blocked because he wasn't able to process the emotions that surged through him. But thinking about the Garrison didn't lead to such anger. He could think about Mrs. Gordon without thinking about Jack. He could remember the day she walked into class with a toilet paper tail. Jack had skipped class that day. Jack skipped class a lot. He always tried to convince Keith to join him but Keith was desperate to succeed. Keith realized he had memories of his time before the desert that hadn't been touched by Jack.

Something in his chest came loose. A rope tied tight around his heart unraveled and fell away and a sound, halfway between a sob and a laugh, escaped. He laughed again, tears slipping down his face, and again until he was halfway hysterical, clinging tight to Lance’s shirt as he tried to muffle the high pitched laughter against the other man’s chest. Through it all, Lance didn’t say anything.

Eventually, he managed to calm down. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Keith still clinging to Lance and Lance still holding Keith. But, as all things do, even the silence had to end. 

“I’m sorry.” Keith’s voice was muffled in Lance’s shirt. 

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“I’m sorry anyway.” He sat up, untangling himself from Lance’s arms and immediately missing the warmth and grounding weight. He winced at the wet stains and stretched fabric left in Lance’s shirt. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.” His voice cracked and he tried to swallow it back down. “No.” It was clearer that time. “I’ve been handling it I just…” He just what? Why did he react so negatively today? “I don’t know.” He pushed himself to his feet and looked towards where he had left his stuff. Lance’s jacket was still lying on top of his own. He looked back at Lance. “I’m sorry you didn’t get much practice.”

Lance barked a laugh and moved to stand up. “It’s fine. Coran will probably go all Karate Kid on me at some point and I’ll learn some secret Altean martial arts by washing dishes or something. Bet I’ll be able to beat you with one hand behind my back.” He grinned his usual grin and moved towards their stuff. “Speaking of which, I have to meet Coran in the hangar soon. Are you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just going to shower and maybe talk to Allura about alien Netflix.”

“Oh, man. If there’s an alien Netflix, you have to tell me.” He slung his jacket over his shoulder before tossing Keith’s at him. 

“Like hell, I will. And have you finding alien Spongebob or something? I don’t need that in my life.” Keith was happy they could go back to bickering after he broke down the way he did. He didn’t need more change in his life. He’d had enough of that in the past few years to last him a while. 

“I’ll find it eventually anyway. Why prolong the inevitable?”

They walked towards the door together, Lance bumping his shoulder against Keith’s.

“You won’t ever find it if I have anything to say about it. I’ll have Pidge erase anything you might be interested in that could potentially be turned into a meme.”

Lance feigned offence, putting his free hand over his heart. “You wound me.”

They stopped right outside the door, about to part ways. 

“Hey.” Lance’s voice grew serious and Keith grew fearful. “If you ever need to get that out again, you can come to me, alright? Even if you just want to work off some energy with sparring, come find me.” Keith felt another lump form in his throat but this one was… happy? 

He nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not updating in a month. I try not to get like that but it's the end of the semester.
> 
> Anyway, this is longer but there's also less happening. I had so much more I wanted to put in here but that's more something for a longer Keith-centric fic maybe? Maybe I'll rewrite this whole thing with more character building one day. 
> 
> Also, I went through and edited the first two chapters (I don't like Shiro's chapter so I couldn't force myself to read through that one again) and I think I edited Allura's too? If you see something that needs to be fixed, tell me.
> 
> If you need someone to talk to about your fears with the election, the upcoming holidays, your personal life, etc. or you just want to harass someone or make new friends, you can find me at princeofthespacealiens.tumblr.com 
> 
> As always, please comment. I crave constant validation. I hope your Holidays go well. Or if you don't have holidays, life.


End file.
